Marcus Rashford made a case to retain his starting spot ahead of Raheem Sterling as he led a rusty England past Switzerland There were times when, at best, this felt like a persuasive argument for all things Nations League. Uefa’s brainchild at least provides a competitive edge at a time of year...

For a long time, it was a reminder of what it used to be like with England, back in the days when the football seldom strayed above six out of 10, when the crowd had to make their own entertainment and the idea that this team could possibly come within one game of a World Cup final felt implausib...

In space, nobody can hear today’s tell-all scream With no standout speculation with which to lead today’s charge, the Rumour Mill finds itself at something of a loss to know which particular morsel of tell-all is worthy of top billing. Unsubstantiated news of interest from Manchester City and Man...

• Denmark 2-0 Wales • Christian Eriksen scores twice to give Danes comfortable win Ryan Giggs was brought crashing back down to Earth after his flying start to life as Wales manager by the brilliance of Christian Eriksen. Denmark may have only had 72 hours together following their bitter fallout...

• Manchester United had shown interest following World Cup • Fellow Foxes Ben Chilwell and Demarai Gray in England squad The England defender Harry Maguire has committed his long-term future to Leicester City by signing a new five-year contract on improved terms in the wake of last summer’s inter...

Manchester United striker’s slick opener and a frantic finale cannot mask the deep-rooted problems England still face when playing against top-grade opponents Gareth Southgate must have feared the homecoming might turn out this way, with a slap in the face to shrug the nation out of all the giddi...

Highest marks among the Three Lions were earned by Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard – but their player ratings fell short of Spain’s Saúl and Dani Carvajal Jordan Pickford Questionable as to if he could have done anything for either Spanish goal (could he have got closer to Saul’s shot?). Had li...

• England 1-2 Spain • Rashford 11; Saúl 13, Rodrigo 32 If nothing else, England’s footballers were spared the kind of treatment they might have anticipated in more mutinous times. In the warm afterglow of the summer’s World Cup, this was no time for recriminations and it was a sympathetic reactio...

Wales were stranded at Cardiff airport on their way to Denmark but they are upwardly mobile after their win over Ireland Joe Allen believes Ryan Giggs is the perfect person to nurture Wales’s new generation after his side stirred up memories of Manchester United’s Class of ’92. Those who watched...

He returned to Manchester United as the league’s most expensive player and now is talking about Barcelona, having done little to justify the fee. Where is the professional pride? In the main entrance to the Cavée Verte academy, among the trophies won by the youth teams of Le Havre, there is a wal...

Goalkeeper is an outstanding shot-stopper but does not excel at passing and this is reflected in how Manchester United play David de Gea has been named in the PFA team of the year in five of the past six seasons. He has been Manchester United’s player of the year in four of the past five seasons....

Today’s fluff is gone with the fallen leaves Paul Pogba ’s latest declaration of loyalty to Manchester United was so half-hearted that talk of a January move to Barcelona is back on the back pages. Asked by Sky Sport Deutschland whether he was happy at Old Trafford, the Frenchman declared: “My fu...

• Wales 4-1 Republic of Ireland • Lawrence 6, Bale 18, Ramsey 37, Roberts 55; Williams 66 Ryan Giggs will be pinching himself after his Wales side romped to victory over Ireland in their Nations League opener. Any memory of the World Cup qualifying defeat to Martin O’Neill’s men was banished afte...

Mourinho’s Jekyll and Hyde behaviour can be entertaining but also damaging and tedious. He must show at Manchester United that he can withstand a storm Football is full of different characters but there are perhaps none who have a split personality quite like José Mourinho, as I can testify from...

Today’s fluff is so fresh, so clean The Manchester Evening News has saved the Rumour Mill a job by taking a basin of ice-cold water and pouring it all over rumours linking John Terry with a surprise move to Manchester United. José Mourinho has made no secret of the fact that he thinks his curre...